The present invention relates to metal founding and more particularly, to a device for use in lining of ingot mold surfaces.
It is common practice, in the process of metal ingot casting, to attach insulating side boards to the inner surfaces of the ingot mold, near the mold mouth. This was formerly accomplished by one or more workmen who climbed into the large, cylindrical mold, manually held the individual side boards in the desired positions, and mechanically fastened them in place.
This procedure has been modified somewhat by the introduction of a specially designed powder actuated tool, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,844, which allows a workman to stand on the top edge of the mold while setting the fasteners which secure the insulating boards to the mold walls. However, temporary retention of the boards, during the fastening process, still requires a second workman to manually hold the individual boards or the use of some kind of awkward jury-rigged support. Neither of these measures is satisfactory due to their undue cost.
The present invention comprises a device for temporarily supporting a side board in a predetermined position against a vertical surface of an ingot mold.
The device comprises, in general, an attachment member, adapted for releasable attachment to a side board and a counterbalance body connected to the attachment member by a chain. More specifically, the point of attachment of the chain to the attachment member is offset, relative to the center of gravity of a side board attached thereto, whereby the device may be arranged such that a component of the gravitational force acting on the side board presses the same against a vertical surface of the ingot mold.
The method of using the device comprises, in general, the steps of releasably fastening a chain to the side board, along the longitudinal axis thereof, placing the side board in the desired position against a vertical surface of the ingot mold, draping the chain over the top of the ingot mold wall, and suspending a counterbalance weight from the free end of the chain. More specifically, the method includes the further steps of offsettingg the point of attachment of the chain, relative to the center of gravity of the side board, and disposing the side board with the attachment point between the vertical mold surface and the center of gravity.